


Never Too Late

by Bow_Woww



Series: Kidnapping AU [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Continuation, Injury Recovery, Kind of dark, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mild Blood, Panic Attacks, Past Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Slow Burn, references to past violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:14:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26801989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bow_Woww/pseuds/Bow_Woww
Summary: Following their brutal abduction, Yuuri and Victor try to adjust to their new normal, while also trying to adjust to their feelings for each other.
Relationships: Christophe Giacometti & Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri & Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri & Yuri Plisetsky, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Phichit Chulanont & Katsuki Yuuri
Series: Kidnapping AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889125
Comments: 15
Kudos: 69





	Never Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I'm back with part 2! Chapter 1 has been done for a while but I wanted to let everyone stew for a bit ;) I've been struggling to get back into writing but I didn't want to make you all keep waiting since part 1 ended on such a big cliffhanger. I appreciate your patience as I chip away at this fic!
> 
> There really isn't going to be all that much violence in this fic but I tagged just to be safe since there will be references to part 1. Please let me know if something is not tagged appropriately.

Yuuri was having strange dreams, and he didn’t know which parts were in his head, and which parts were real. Sometimes, he was in a sterile white room, surrounded by familiar voices. Other times, he was skating, gliding across the ice. Those two were ok, but sometimes, he was back in his prison, desperately trying to find Victor. Whenever he found himself there, he screamed and cried, calling out for Victor. Victor promised he wouldn’t leave. If Victor wasn’t there, it was because James had him, and he was terrified to think about what James was doing to him after they’d caused so much trouble. It was hard to remember exactly what had happened, but he knew they’d done something that would make James very angry. 

Sometimes, when he called out for Victor, he’d hear someone else call back to him. It wasn’t Victor, but it was a voice that he knew was safe. He couldn’t figure out who it was, until he woke up to a familiar song. It was his favorite lullaby, from when he was a kid. His mom used to sing it to him whenever he had a bad dream. If he was hearing that then…

“...mom?” 

There were shuffling sounds. Then, the familiar face of his mother was leaning over him, her eyes filled with tears. “Yuuri! You’re awake!” She leaned in for a hug, and then hesitated. She settled for kissing him on the cheek instead. 

Yuuri blinked up at her. It felt like there was cotton stuffed in his brain, but he wasn’t in pain. Two more familiar faces popped into view: his sister and father were here too. They were both saying something, the tears in their eyes matching Hiroko’s. 

He reached out toward them, but the motion felt weird. He felt all floaty, and loopy. “What…”

“Do you remember what happened?” Someone, Mari, he was pretty sure, asked. Or maybe it was his mom, he wasn’t actually sure.

“Happened…” he repeated, struggling to form words. His tongue was grass, probably. That must be why he was having so much trouble talking.

“The doctor said he’s on a high dose of pain meds, remember?” That was definitely his dad speaking.

One of them gave him a weird look. “Yeah, that was dad.” 

Yuuri glanced around the room, and it was very fuzzy. He was squinting, trying to make out what the blurry shapes were. Someone reached over him, then put something on his face. Yuuri blinked as the room came into focus. 

“Wowwww,” he commented. 

There was a low chuckle across the room. “He’s really out of it, isn’t he?” 

“Yeah. He keeps babbling, and I don’t think he realizes it.” 

Yuuri tried to focus on the conversation, but it felt weirdly far away. Then, he blinked, and suddenly there was someone else standing over him. It was the prettiest person he’d ever seen. He should probably tell the pretty person that. 

“You’re so pretty,” Yuuri announced. 

Pretty Man smiled. “You’re very pretty too.” 

“Not as pretty as youuu,” he insisted. Why couldn’t Pretty Man see how pretty he was? 

Pretty Man chuckled, placing a hand on Yuuri’s cheek. “That’s very kind of you.” 

Pretty Man was very familiar, but Yuuri’s brain was moving very slowly and it was hard to figure out why. He studied Pretty Man’s face, then gasped when he realized why he knew him. “Victor. You’re Victor.” 

Victor nodded. He had more color in his cheeks than Yuuri remembered, but probably because he was covered in bruises. There was a bandage covering part of his forehead, and his arm was wrapped up in something. Yuuri couldn’t figure out what it was. 

“It’s a sling,” Victor explained. “My arm is broken.” 

Wow, Victor was a mind reader. 

Victor chuckled, and Yuuri smiled at the sound. “You’re just very drugged right now.” 

That would explain why he was floating. He should tell them that. “‘M floating,” he explained. 

Victor smiled. “I’m sure you are. You probably won’t remember any of this.” 

“Maybe not. He definitely won’t remember trying to explain the biomechanics of a quad flip. He was really out of it before,” Yuuri’s dad reasoned. 

Did he do that?

“Yes, you did,” Mari replied. 

Oh, she was a mind reader too. 

“Are you even supposed to be here?” Mari asked Victor.

Victor shook his head, making his hair flip around all funny. “Nope. They told me not to leave my room.” 

“And yet here you are,” Mari said with a snort. 

“I had to be here,” Victor said adamantly. 

“Need my Victor,” Yuuri insisted. 

Victor smiled. “I’m here.” 

Yuuri reached out, grabbing at his arm. “Stay.” 

“Of course.” 

Yuuri made a content sound, then closed his eyes again. He was so, so tired, and sleep came easily. 

The next time he woke up, the room was dark. There was a high pitched beeping sound coming from somewhere next to him. It was too much effort to roll over and look. He opened his eyes, and saw that Victor was asleep in the bed with him, his face looking open and relaxed. His face was a mess of purple, green, and yellow, proof of their triumph.

Everything hit Yuuri all at once: they were out. They did it. Yuuri gasped, a mixture of emotions swirling inside him. It felt unreal, like he was going to wake up at any moment back in James’s basement. Maybe it was just the drugs he was on, but he didn’t feel the relief that he knew he should be feeling. It was too hard to comprehend that it was real, that they’d made it. Instead of thinking about it, Yuuri scooted closer to Victor, snuggling into him. Victor was warm against him, his chest rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern. It made it easy for Yuuri to lose consciousness again.

When he woke again, it was because something wet was dripping onto his face. He groaned, wiping the wetness away with his eyes still closed. More drops fell on his hand, and Yuuri opened his eyes to see what was going on. Victor was still next to him, but he was taking gasping breaths, and sobbing. Yuuri reached out, murmuring soothing words and holding Victor tightly. Every movement still felt exaggerated, but his head did feel clearer. 

“I’m here, Victor. I’m here,” Yuuri said reassuringly. Victor must be having a nightmare. This is how he usually reacted when he had dark dreams. Yuuri knew that, and he knew that Victor liked to be held tight when he was having these dreams. 

Victor continued to sob, turning his head into Yuuri’s chest. He clutched at Yuuri with his good hand, careful to only grab his clothes and not his injured body. “Yuuri…”

“It’s alright, let it out.” Yuuri kept hugging him, rubbing his back. He let Victor cry himself out, waiting until his sobs faded into shaky breaths before asking, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Victor shook his head, hesitated, then nodded. “I dreamt we were back there. That  _ this _ was the dream. That we didn’t escape, and that he got Yuri too.” Victor whimpered, curling further into Yuuri’s embrace. 

“I keep dreaming about that too,” Yuuri admitted. “I can’t always tell what’s real and what’s not.” 

“I hate this. The bed is too soft, the room is too bright, and they keep trying to make me leave you.” Victor sniffled. “I keep thinking I should be grateful, because we’re out, but I don’t feel any better here. Everything feels wrong.” 

Yuuri nodded in understanding. He hadn’t been lucid very often, but in the moments he was, he had the same feeling. “It smells too clean,” he agreed. 

Victor looked up at him, his eyes red and puffy. “I feel like I’ll never escape James. We’re here, and I just keep thinking about how everything is  _ wrong _ , and how I keep expecting three knocks on the door.” 

Yuuri flinched at the mention of their captor’s name. “I know what you mean.” The thought had crossed his mind as well. He felt like he hadn’t had the chance to enjoy his new “freedom”. He was either sleeping or too stoned out of his mind to be aware of what was going on. He remembered a few conversations with his family, most of them silly and embarrassing, but he really hadn’t had the chance to reunite with them properly. He hadn’t even had a chance to process the fact that they had escaped. Yuuri was still half-convinced that none of this was real.

Plus, he was confined to this bed. It was a much plushier bed than the cot he was used to, but as Victor said, it didn’t feel  _ better _ . It felt like something he wasn’t supposed to have, something that would be taken away from him the next time he messed up. 

The logical part of Yuuri’s brain remembered that those weren’t the rules outside of James’s prison. He’d slept in a comfortable bed all the time before James had taken him. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of wrongness, of dread. He had a feeling that without his dose of heavy medications, he probably wouldn’t sleep much. 

Yuuri continued to hold Victor tight, refusing to let him go. He didn’t fall back asleep this time, and judging by Victor’s occasional whimpers, neither did he. Sunlight started to creep back into the room, and they were still clutching at each other. They both flinched as the door opened, and the sound of footsteps filled the room. Yuuri looked at Victor, whose eyes were as wide as his own. Someone was here. The footsteps moved closer to the bed, and Yuuri started shaking. A hand reached out, touching his face, and Yuuri shrieked, shying away from the contact and into Victor. 

He couldn’t stop the train of  _ bad bad bad _ running through his mind. It felt like he was back in the basement, back with James. Who else could it be? James had found them, and he was going to take them back and--

“Yuuri? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

He knew that voice. Yuuri relaxed a little, but didn’t completely let his guard down as he rolled over. It didn’t hurt, whatever pain meds he was on seemed to be doing the trick, but he was starting to feel achy all over. He didn’t have his glasses on, but he knew immediately that the blurry form in front of him was his mom. 

“Mom?” 

She nodded, carefully reaching out to hand Yuuri his glasses. He accepted them, putting them on his face so he could see her clearly. Mari and his father were in the room too, looking at him sadly. It was the first time he was seeing them while he was lucid. They felt real, not like one of his dreams, and the realization made him tear up. 

Hiroko reached out hesitantly, then pulled her arms back. Yuuri reached out toward her as much as he could, still lacking muscle strength. His mother looked relieved, then rushed in to hug him. She was gentle, holding him carefully and crying into his hair. And then Mari and his father were there too, huddling around him. They were all sobbing, their foreheads pressed together as Yuuri held his mother tighter than he ever had before. 

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” Yuuri said in disbelief. He pulled back just enough to look at each of his family members’ faces, their eyes all shiny with tears. 

“We’re here. We’re not going anywhere,” his father insisted. 

“It’s good to have you back,” Mari added, looking rougher than Yuuri had ever seen her. In fact, they all did. They were all pale and haggard looking. 

“I…” He wanted to tell them it was good to be back, but he wasn’t sure if he felt that way yet. He was still trying to comprehend everything that had happened. 

Hiroko seemed to understand. “It must be a lot.”

“Yeah…” 

“Are you feeling ok?” Mari asked. She grimaced. “I mean, all things considering.”

Yuuri shrugged. “I don’t know.” 

His family exchanged worried looks. “Should we get the doctor?” Toshiya inquired. 

Yuuri shook his head, looking away from his family. How could he possibly explain to the doctor, or anyone, what he was feeling right now? 

Victor shifted beside him, looking a little uncomfortable. Yuuri placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’ve already met Victor, right?” 

Mari snorted. “Yeah, he’s been glued to your side. We’ve been acquainted.” 

Victor sat up, offering Yuuri’s family a small smile. “They’ve all been very nice,” he said. 

“That’s good.” He frowned. “I was really out of it, wasn’t I?” 

“You were,” Hiroko confirmed. “They had you on a pretty high dose of pain medications.” 

Yuuri nodded. “Yeah, I felt that.” 

“You’re not in pain though?” Hiroko asked.

Yuuri shook his head. “No. Maybe a bit achy, but I’m ok.” He winced at his word choice. He wasn’t actually sure if he was “ok”. 

“We’re just so relieved,” Hiroko whispered, gripping Yuuri’s shoulder. “They weren’t sure if you were going to…” She trailed off, sniffling. 

“How...how bad was it?” Yuuri wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to know, but part of him was curious. 

“Bad,” Mari said gravely. “They said you had air in your chest. They had to put something in to get the air out so you could breathe properly. And they said you ruptured your spleen.” She pointed to Yuuri’s side. “They took you into emergency surgery to take it out. Apparently you had a lot of internal bleeding.” 

Yuuri lifted his hospital gown up and pushed the blanket aside, his eyes falling on a line of suture that looked far more straight and purposeful than any of his other wounds. “Oh.” 

She waved her hand around. “A lot of it was doctor words that I couldn’t understand, especially with the doctor’s accent. But the gist of it was that you were in really bad shape.” Mari pointed to Yuuri’s left hand, which Yuuri hadn’t even noticed was in a brace. “Broken wrist,” she pointed to his chest, “broken ribs,” she made a vague gesture at all of Yuuri, “cuts and bruises everywhere.” She looked thoughtful, and then said, “Oh, and a minor concussion.”

“Well...I guess they picked the right pain meds then, because I haven’t felt anything.” Yuuri let out an awkward huff of laughter, unsure about how to respond to all this information.

Fortunately, Mari followed his change of topic. “They gave you the good stuff,” she said teasingly.

Yuuri let out a huff of laughter that was a little more genuine. It jostled his ribs and made him grimace. “Ah, I’m sure they did.” He rubbed at his sore chest. He could feel bandages and lines of stitches everywhere too, probably from where the glass had cut him.

“Do you want to hear what you said when you were drugged? I took a video.” Mari was joking around, but Yuuri could see how strained her smile was. The interaction was forced, and a little awkward, but it was like that with all of his family. It made sense, they were avoiding the elephant in the room, which was jumbo sized. 

Still, it was a return to normalcy. Mari was always teasing him, so it felt right. He preferred it over being treated like he would break. “Ok. I’m sure it was super embarrassing.” 

“It was,” Mari confirmed. She was pulling out her phone to show them, when three knocks sounded on the door.

Yuuri and Victor froze for a moment, then immediately went into a frenzy. Victor was struggling to untangle himself from the covers, desperate to get himself to his spot on the wall. He succeeded, stumbling, but made his way to the far while and got into position. Yuuri was trying to do the same. James had wanted him up last time, he must want him up now. Yuuri kicked at the blankets, flailing on the bed and trying to stand, but hands were pushing him back. His parents were standing over him, looking terrified, but Yuuri couldn’t understand why, because  _ they _ were the ones in the way!  _ They  _ were keeping him from doing what he was supposed to do! 

He still didn’t have much strength, but Yuuri still pushed against the hands on him as hard as he could. “Let me go! I need to go!” He was going to get in trouble. They were going to get him in trouble! 

“Yuuri it’s ok! You’re safe!” One of them said. 

It was a lie. He wasn’t safe, he’d never be safe. This was proof! James was here, knocking at their door! He screamed, fighting the hands, which seemed to be multiplying. Victor was at the wall trembling and looking down at his feet. Mari was saying something to him but he wasn’t responding. Didn’t she know better? Victor wasn’t supposed to talk when he was at the wall, not unless James told him to. 

Yuuri wasn’t supposed to talk either, but it was the only way to get the hands off of him. They wouldn’t leave him alone, trying to push him down. People were calling his name, but it didn’t matter. 

And then, everything went black. His muscles went limp, and he couldn’t keep his eyes open. Mercifully, he didn’t dream, but when he woke up, everything was weird and loopy again. His body felt like lead when he tried to move it, and it was so much effort to open his mouth to ask, “Wha’ happ’n?” 

Toshiya, who was sitting in a chair next to the bed, smiled gently at him. “You were given a sedative. You were panicking.” 

“Oh.” Yuuri looked around, his head lolling to the side. The room was bright, so bright, and there were people there besides his father. Mari was there. And his mother. He waved, and they awkwardly waved back, looking worried. 

Why were they worried? “Wha’ happ’n?” 

His father made a face but said, “You were sedated.” 

“Oh.” That sounded familiar. “I asked that?” 

“You did. A few times,” his father explained. 

“Oh.” There were some gaps in his memory, but the fluff in his head slowly faded away as the clock kept ticking, until he could think more clearly. At least, clear enough to realize that Victor wasn’t with him. 

“Where’s Victor?” He asked nervously, glancing around. 

“They took him back to his room,” Hiroko explained. “He was...also having a hard time.” 

Yuuri kept looking around, straining to see where Victor was. “Victor?”

“Yuuri, he’s not here,” Hiroko said gently.

Yuuri wasn’t really listening, he was just trying to find Victor. Victor  _ had  _ to be here! He promised he wouldn’t leave. “Victor! Where’s Victor?” He tried to push the blankets away, so he could get up and look for Victor, but both of his parents held their hands up to stop him.

“You need to stay in bed,” Toshiya insisted. 

Yuuri ignored him, trying, and failing, to get up. It was hard to move his body, and he could feel that he wasn’t thinking clearly, but it didn’t matter. He had to find Victor. He couldn’t be alone! He couldn’t be without Victor! What if James had him? He had to know where Victor was! He tried telling his family, but he just started crying, and yelling. His throat hurt enough that he knew it wasn’t his first screaming fit, but that didn’t matter. He’d do whatever it took to get Victor back.

Hiroko shouted something to Mari, who was standing wide eyed behind them. She nodded and left the room swiftly. Then, Yuuri’s mom turned back to him. “We’re going to find Victor,” she promised, but Yuuri was well past reassurances.

He kept screaming, calling out for Victor. Yuuri’s parents tried to comfort him, saying soothing words and keeping him from hurting himself, but they couldn’t stop the panic that had gripped him. Didn’t they understand? He and Victor needed each other! They couldn’t be separated! 

Someone in scrubs rushed into the room, speaking to his parents. Yuuri couldn’t hear them, he was screaming far too loud, but it looked like they were arguing. It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was finding Victor. The stranger went to take a step toward Yuuri, but was interrupted by another set of guests. 

Mari stepped back into the room, supporting a very wobbly looking Victor. Victor looked terrified, but he relaxed as soon as he saw Yuuri. Yuuri did the same, sighing in relief. The person in scrubs held up a hand, but an angry looking man walked in behind Victor, saying something stern that made her go quiet.

Meanwhile, Victor stumbled over to Yuuri, looking about as out of it as Yuuri felt. Yuuri opened his arms, and Victor collapsed in a heap on the bed, not even remotely gracefully. They both readjusted until they were touching, making sure not to crush Victor’s injured arm or press on Yuuri’s hurt ribs. Everything felt right now that Victor was there. They held each other, letting their breathing even out. 

“Well, this is going to be a problem,” someone said. It sounded like his dad.

“That they apparently can’t be separated at all? Yeah, I think that’s going to be a bit of an issue,” Mari snorted. 

“They’ve been through a lot,” Hiroko reminded the group. “We knew there would be...complications.” 

“Vitya was just as bad,” another voice responded. It took Yuuri’s brain a while to catch up, but eventually he recognized the voice as Yakov’s. “I was contemplating how to get him over here safely when Mari showed up. I was worried he was going to hurt himself trying to get back here.”

“What do we do?” Toshiya asked. 

Hiroko sighed. “We support them. This isn’t the only hardship we’re going to have to deal with.” She walked over to the bed, gently pushing Yuuri’s bangs out of his face. He didn’t have the energy to flinch away. “I didn’t think I would ever see my son again. I don’t care what he’s been through or what he needs, I’m just happy he’s back.” 

“Agreed,” Yakov responded. “I...I had given up hope. When I got a call from the police that they found them, I almost hung up thinking it was a prank call.”

There was the sound of feet shuffling around, and a couple of sniffles. “They’re back now, that’s all that matters,” someone said. Yuuri couldn’t quite focus on who it was. 

“Sure, we support them. But what do we do about the fact that they panic as soon as they’re separated?” Mari inquired.

“Keep them together?” Hiroko suggested. “This is way out of my depth. I’ve already gotten a recommendation for a psychiatrist close to Hasetsu to help Yuuri...and us...deal with this. But I don’t see any harm in keeping them together.” 

“Nor do I,” Yakov agreed. “If you have the room, and they are both up for travel, I would suggest sending Victor back to Japan with you. I don’t imagine either of them will get any peace here.” 

“We have plenty of room. For both of you if you would also like to come along,” Toshiya offered. 

“I would like to be there for at least a few days, if I can. Victor spent more time at the rink with me than at home so he’s practically…” Yakov’s voice broke in an uncharacteristic display of tenderness. He cleared his throat and continued, “I’ll need to check in with my skaters first, make sure that they’re ok with me leaving in the middle of the season.”

“Of course,” Hiroko replied gently. “You’ll be welcome anytime, and so will any friends of Victor’s.” 

Yakov snorted. “How about four-legged friends? I don’t imagine Victor will leave his poodle behind. He’s already been asking me to sneak her in here.” 

“We love dogs. We’ve all missed having one around,” Mari insisted. 

“Good,” Yakov said approvingly. “We can propose this idea to them when they wake up.”

There were murmurs of agreement, and Yuuri tried to comprehend what he was hearing. They wanted him and Victor to go to Hasetsu. Together. Yuuri didn’t know what to think. On one hand, he was glad that they weren’t going to separate him and Victor, but on the other hand, he was having a hard time imagining going back to Hasetsu. How could he go back after everything that happened? He wanted to, desperately. He wanted to see his home again, and his friends, but it felt daunting. 

Yuuri peeked at Victor, whose eyes were open too. It appeared that they had both been eavesdropping, so Yuuri sent Victor a questioning look. Victor nodded without hesitation. A small smile crept over Yuuri’s face, and Victor mirrored him. At least they would be able to help each other get through this.

With that thought, Yuuri let himself relax enough to fall asleep, aided by the sedative still in his system. Once again, the sleep was thankfully dreamless, but this time, Yuuri was awoken suddenly by a high pitched squeal. His first reaction was panic, until his mind registered that it was a squeal of delight, not fear or pain. Yuuri opened his eyes, his heart still pounding from the surprise. 

Victor was sitting up his good arm held wide open. “Makkachin!” 

There was a yip, and then a weight was jostling the bed. Yuuri rolled over as carefully as he could, sitting up. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight beside him.

Victor was laughing, more freely than Yuuri had ever heard him, and Makka was in his lap, licking his face and wagging her tail furiously. She pawed at her owner, whining and yipping excitedly, her whole body wiggling with the wagging of her tail. 

Yuuri chuckled, genuinely delighted, and the sound seemed to make Makka aware of his presence. She saw him and yipped again, bouncing toward him. Victor caught her with his good arm just in time to keep the poodle from jumping on Yuuri’s injured chest, but she still smothered his face in sloppy kisses. Yuuri put out a hand to keep her off of him, laughing so hard that his chest started aching, even with the pain meds he was on.

“Makka, be careful!” Victor scolded, but there was no force behind his voice.

“She’s just a big love! Aren’t you, Makka?” Yuuri cooed, scratching her behind her ears. 

Makka couldn’t seem to decide who she wanted to pay attention to, so she wiggled her way in between Yuuri and Victor and rolled over so they both could pet her. They obliged, scratching her chest and belly. 

A throat cleared in the doorway, catching both Yuuri and Victor’s attention. They looked up, and Yuuri felt tears in his eyes. “Yuri…”

Yuri was standing awkwardly in the doorway, looking unsure. He glanced between Yuuri and Victor, but didn’t make a move. Yuuri didn’t hesitate, opening his arms to offer a hug. Yuri looked relieved, and rushed into the room, barely slowing down as he jumped into the hug. Yuuri suppressed a hiss of pain, because he didn’t want to make Yuri feel bad, and because he was too relieved to see his young friend to care. 

Yuri hugged him, trying to hide his sniffles, and looking nervously at Victor out of the corner of his eye. Victor smiled gently, and opened his own arm. Yuri latched on immediately, throwing one arm over each of them. Makka leaned up to lick his face, and Yuri didn’t even protest. 

“You...you idiots!” Yuri snarled, but his voice was quivering. Victor patted his back soothingly.

As abruptly as the hug started, it ended. Yuri pulled back suddenly, wiping frantically at his eyes and nose. He made a face like he didn’t care what was going on, but his eyes were red and puffy. Yuri acted so tough, sometimes Yuuri forgot that he was just a kid. This must have been really hard on him.

Yuuri smiled gently. “Thanks for coming to visit. How did you get Makka in here?”

Yuri tsked. “I told them she belonged to  _ Victor fucking Nikiforov _ , and they told me I could do whatever I wanted.” 

Victor laughed, absent-mindedly scratching Makka’s ears. “Well, we’re glad to see both of you.”

Yuri mumbled something about how he was glad to see them too, then sat down in the empty chair next to the bed. Despite the bravado, Yuri looked younger than Yuuri had ever seen him. He looked nervous, and he kept glancing at Yuuri and Victor like they were going to disappear. For the first time since Yuuri had met the feisty teen, he actually looked his age. A picture flashed through his mind of Yuri pale and malnourished, wasting away in James’s basement with them. Yuuri squeezed his eyes shut to vanish that picture. Yuri was safe. James didn’t get him. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Yuri asked, before flinching at his own question.

Yuuri opened his eyes, sighing in relief when the Yuri in front of him still looked healthy and fit. “Nothing. Just...glad to see you. Are you ok?”

Yuri gave him a confused look. “Why are you asking  _ me _ that?”

“Nevermind.” Yuuri shook his head. He reached over to pet Makka, letting her ground him.

Yuri fidgeted, looking unsure of what to say. Finally, he whispered, “They almost didn’t believe me.” 

“What?” Victor asked. 

“It took me a while, but I got your phone open and figured out what you wanted to tell me,” Yuri explained.

“You did?” Yuuri’s eyes widened. 

“Yeah,” Yuri confirmed. “Yakov didn’t believe that James was involved. Not at first.”

Both Yuuri and Victor flinched when they heard their captor’s name. Yuuri swallowed hard. “How did you convince him?”

Yuri snorted. “I let the creep’s boss sponsor me. Got close to him.” 

Victor shuddered. “Yura, that was really dangerous.”

“He did it first!” Yuri pointed at Yuuri.

“Yeah, and it didn’t end well,” Yuuri reminded him.

“I was careful!” Yuri crossed his arms, looking defiant. “I knew that fucker was responsible, but no one would believe me. I had to get close to him.”

“How did you convince Yakov?” Victor asked curiously. 

Yuri grinned triumphantly. “I stole his phone. He had videos of Victor skating on an outdoor rink.” 

Yuuri and Victor exchanged a look. He didn’t even realize James had recorded that. “That was...surprisingly sloppy,” Yuuri commented. Considering how careful James had been, it was surprising to hear that he had been discovered because of something so simple. 

Yuri shrugged. “Well, it wasn’t exactly easy to get his phone from him.”

“How did you do it?” Yuuri asked. 

To Yuuri’s surprise, Yuri blushed. “My...friend pickpocketed him.” 

Victor raised an eyebrow. “Your ‘friend’?” He grinned at Yuri. 

“Don’t give me that look you dumb geezer!” Yuri glared at Victor. “Yes, my  _ friend. _ ” 

“And who is this ‘friend’ of yours?” Victor kept emphasizing the word friend, still grinning at Yuri.

“None of your damn business!” Yuri snapped. 

Yuuri chuckled, and Makka wagged her tail at the commotion. It was odd, conversing with Yuri and Victor like this, like nothing had happened. But it was better than Yuri’s awkward avoidance. Yuri and Victor bantered for a while longer, and then Yuri fell into an easy chatter with them. He still looked a little nervous, but he was far more relaxed than when he’d come in. He even seemed embarrassed about his affectionate behavior, which was right on track for Yuri. 

Eventually, Yuuri’s family returned, entering the room cautiously. Yuuri introduced Yuri and Makka to his family, and Yuri was surprisingly polite. Makka was thrilled to meet new people, and they all took turns cooing over her. Yuuri smiled, only feeling slightly overwhelmed. Victor seemed to be feeling the same, judging by his tight smile. It really was great to see his family again, but their nervous glances and careful words didn’t sit right with Yuuri. He hated seeing them tip-toeing around him. 

“Ok,” Mari said after Victor finished telling a story about a young Yuri. “Yuri and Yuuri is too confusing.” She pointed at Yuri. “From now on, you’re Yurio!” 

Predictably, Yuri protested, screeching like an angry tom cat. Victor was thrilled, immediately starting a chant of “Yurio! Yurio!” 

Yuri had a few choice words for Victor, but Yuuri could see he was holding back a smile. The two of them seemed to have a brotherly relationship, and despite how outwardly prickly Yuri was, he did seem happy to have Victor back. 

When Yuri finally had to leave, Victor pouted as he took Makka with him. She was reluctant to leave her owner, but Victor knew she couldn’t stay. Still, everyone had a hard time watching Makka gaze pathetically over her shoulder as Yuri led her out of the room. Victor seemed like he was having a hard time watching his precious poodle be taken away, so Yuuri rubbed his arm sympathetically. He relaxed a little, but he still looked fairly tense. 

Once Yuri and Makka were gone, Hiroko cleared her throat. “We have a proposition for you boys,” she announced. 

“You want us to come back to Hasetsu,” Yuuri stated.

She looked surprised. “Yes, that’s right.”

“We weren’t asleep when you were talking,” Yuuri explained. 

“Well, then what do you think?” 

Yuuri glanced at Victor, who nodded. Then, he turned back to his mother. “We’re willing to go. We just want to stay together.” Truthfully, Yuuri didn’t really want to stay in Russia anyway. The thought of going home was daunting, but the thought of returning to Victor’s apartment, with the piles of case notes, was worse. 

Hiroko smiled, and Yuuri’s father and sister mirrored her. “We’ll be glad to have you home. You too, Victor.” 

“Thank you,” Victor replied genuinely. 

“Everyone will be so excited to see you,” Hiroko continued.

Yuuri’s smile faltered, but he kept it plastered on. “It will be good to see everyone.” He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t quite telling the truth, either.

“Speaking of which,” Mari held an object out to Yuuri, and Yuuri recognized it as his phone. He took it from her, looking it over. “Phichit has been texting me non-stop asking about you. Please call him before he uses up all of my international texts.”

“You have Phichit’s number?” 

Mari nodded. “Yeah. We exchanged numbers after…” she averted her eyes, looking uncomfortable. “Just in case he heard something.” 

Yuuri frowned. He didn’t need his family to pretend like nothing had happened. He wasn’t going to break if they brought it up. “I see.” This was exactly why he was hesitant to see his friends again. Yuuri knew that adjusting back to everyday life was going to be hard, but having people handle him with kid gloves was exactly what he didn’t want. 

“Are you ok?” Toshiya snapped Yuuri out of his thoughts.

“Yeah. I’m just...tired. I think I want to sleep for a while,” Yuuri lied. He was wide awake. 

His family all smiled in understanding. “Of course,” Hiroko said softly. “We can come back later.” 

They said their goodbyes, and Yuuri’s family left. As soon as they closed the door, Yuuri let out a long sigh. Victor turned to him with a questioning look. “I love them, and I’m so grateful to be back, I just…” He shook his head. “I don’t like how they’re tip-toeing around what happened.” 

“I understand. Yakov was the same way.” 

“Pretending won’t make it go away,” Yuuri continued. “It’s not that I want to talk about it, I don’t even want to  _ think _ about it. I just…”

“Want everyone to stop acting like you’re going to break?” Victor offered. 

Yuuri nodded. “Exactly.” He leaned his head back. “I know...we’re probably messed up. Actually, I  _ know _ we’re messed up. But I don’t want to be babied.” He turned back to Victor. “Does that make sense?”

“Yes,” Victor agreed. “There was an officer that was asking me about what happened, and Yakov would start coughing loudly any time the story got too graphic. Like he was trying to drown out what I was saying and make it go away.” 

“So what do we do?” 

With a shrug, Victor answered, “No idea. Your mom said she found a therapist, I think that’s a good place to start.” 

“Probably,” Yuuri agreed. 

Victor hummed, then stood up and stretched his legs. Yuuri gave him a questioning look and Victor pointed toward the bathroom. Yuuri nodded in understanding. “Do you think you could help me bathe when you’re done?” 

“Of course,” Victor agreed, before walking into the bathroom. He didn’t close the door, which seemed completely normal to Yuuri, considering they’d been using a toilet in an open room for months. Yuuri knew his and Victor’s reluctance to be separated was going to be a problem, but he couldn’t make himself care. It didn’t matter if they couldn’t be apart, and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought. They needed each other. Maybe someday they’d be like they were before all of this, but Yuuri couldn’t see that happening any time soon. He could barely handle Victor leaving to go to the bathroom.

When Victor was done, he returned to help Yuuri out of his hospital gown and undergarments. There were fresh clothes that had been left for him, as well as the supplies for a sponge bath. Or rather, a washcloth bath. Victor wet the washcloth, and Yuuri sighed when the warm cloth touched his body. He hadn’t felt warm water since his solo trip upstairs, and it was delightful. Victor washed him carefully, avoiding the bandages and stitches littering his body. It wasn’t too different from how Victor had cared for him in James’s basement, except the water was warm and clean instead of cold and stale. 

Once Yuuri’s body was clean, Victor massaged dry shampoo into his hair, then dressed him in clean clothes. He had just settled back into the bed, when the door cracked open and a voice asked for entry. Yuuri and Victor exchanged a nervous look, but told the visitor they could come in. 

A tall, slim woman wearing a stethoscope around her neck entered and introduced herself as Yuuri’s doctor. Apparently, they’d met before, but Yuuri had been too drugged to remember. She explained Yuuri’s injuries, which he already knew about, then started giving him more instructions. Apparently he’d be able to leave soon, but he would need physical therapy to walk and get as much function back as possible. The question on the tip of his tongue was,  _ “will I be able to skate again?”  _ but he didn’t bring it up. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle if the answer was no. For now, he just nodded along as the doctor explained how his case would be transferred to a large clinic back in Japan. It wasn’t exactly next door to his home, but the train ride wouldn’t be too long.

After that, the doctor took her leave and Yuuri and Victor were alone again. He looked up at Victor, who was now hovering next to the bed. It occurred to Yuuri that Victor was stuck here because of him. They couldn’t be apart, but Yuuri couldn’t get up and leave the room. He frowned, feeling guilty.

Noticing Yuuri’s sour expression, Victor asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I just feel bad that you’re stuck in here with me,” Yuuri admitted. “I can’t walk around, so you can’t either.” He knew offering to let Victor walk out of the room without him was out of the question. Neither of them would be able to handle it.

Victor glanced nervously at the door. “It’s alright. Really, it is. I don’t really want to go anywhere.” 

“You don’t?”

Victor shook his head. “The thought of walking around and exploring just doesn’t sound appealing. It honestly sounds terrifying.” 

Nodding sympathetically, Yuuri reached over and squeezed Victor’s arm. “Yeah, it is. We don’t know what could be out there.” 

“Right. And it just feels...wrong to leave a room on our own. We’re not supposed to do that.”

“Yeah…” Truthfully, Yuuri wasn’t feeling quite the same fear as Victor. He was nervous about being somewhere he didn’t know, but he was also itching to see something other than the inside of this room. Still, as long as he got to stay near Victor, he didn’t care if they never left the room. 

A silence fell over them, and Victor started bustling around. He crouched down, reaching for something under the bed with his good hand. When he stood back up, he was holding two cups of preserved fruit. “Hungry?” he asked. 

Yuuri nodded. He’d barely been lucid enough to eat since he’d gotten here. Victor sat down on the bed and handed both the cups to Yuuri. Yuuri opened them, then handed one back to Victor. They both sipped at the fruit juice, munching on chunks of fruit that Yuuri couldn’t identify. It was the sweetest thing he’d eaten since James took him, and his taste buds seemed to be having a hard time processing it. 

Victor slurped up some juice, then said, “I had to put the stash under the bed. They kept taking it.”

Yuuri wrinkled his nose. “Why would they do that?”

“I don’t know,” Victor replied with a shrug. “But they haven’t seemed to have figured out where it is now.” 

“Hm.” 

Once their food was finished, Victor stacked the empty cups on the other side of the room, near the door. That was, after all, where dirty dishes went. After that, Victor paced for a while, muttering to himself every so often. Yuuri watched him, his mind going blank as he observed the familiar pattern. It was only the feeling of his phone buzzing in his pocket that snapped Yuuri out of his daze, startling him enough that he flinched. He’d forgotten that Mari had handed it to him, and he’d definitely forgotten the sensation of a vibrating phone against his body. 

Victor paused as he noticed Yuuri’s discomfort, giving him a questioning look. Yuuri pulled his phone out, offering a sheepish smile. Victor nodded in understanding, then continued his pacing. 

As soon as Yuuri looked at his phone, he gasped. There were dozens of unread messages, mostly from Phichit, of people wishing him well and expressing their happiness that he’d been found. Phichit, the Nishigoris, Minako, Chris, Georgi, Mila, Yuri, and others, all sending him messages of love. Yuuri clutched at his phone, tears streaming down his face. He sniffled, and Victor immediately stopped pacing, rushing to Yuuri’s side to hold him. Yuuri reached out to clutch at Victor with one hand, but continued to grip his phone in the other. All the people that he thought he’d never see again. Yuuri started opening the messages one by one, although he didn’t think he felt ready to respond yet. Yuuko had sent him a picture of the triplets, holding a hand-made sign that said “Get well soon”, decorated with stickers and glitter. Celestino had sent a polite, but heartfelt message expressing how relieved he was that Yuuri was alright. And Phichit...Phichit was blowing up Yuuri’s phone. Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh as he read through the stream of messages. Mari hadn’t been kidding about Phichit trying to get in contact with him. 

**Phichit** : Ok, Mari said she’s giving you your phone back so you better answer!

**Phichit** : Your godsons are worried!

**Phichit** :  _ [image description: three hamsters perched on Phichit’s head and shoulders] _

**Phichit** : Yuuri

**Phichit** : Don’t you dare leave me on read!

**Phichit** : I don’t care if I don’t speak Russian, I’m about to call that hospital and demand to speak to you

**Phichit** : Actually screw that, I’m flying there. Ciao Ciao can deal with it

Yuuri smiled at the messages, feeling a sob bubbling over. He’d missed all of his friends and family so much. For the first time since he’d woken up in the hospital, he felt real relief. 

“Yuuri?” Victor asked questioningly. 

Rubbing away the tears, Yuuri looked up at Victor, still sniffling. “It really didn’t hit me until now that I get to see them all again.” 

Victor smiled warmly. “I don’t think it’s hit me yet either. Although, I don’t really have anyone besides Yakov that cares.” 

“You have your rinkmates. And all of Russia. And the entire skating world,” Yuuri reminded him. “And Makka, of course,” he added quickly.

With a shrug, Victor replied, “I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just don’t have any close friends or family.” 

“What about Chris?” 

Victor relented, “Ok, Chris. But no one else really cares about  _ me _ , they just care about my skating.” 

“Your rinkmates care,” Yuuri insisted. “You should try getting to know them better, they’re really good people.” 

Victor hummed in contemplation. “Maybe. I think that’s a bit much for me right now.”

“Fair,” Yuuri responded. He didn’t like the idea of Victor feeling so alone, but he could tell by the look on Victor’s face that he didn’t want to talk about it. Plus, his phone kept buzzing and it was very distracting. Yuuri glanced down at the screen.

**Phichit** : All joking aside, I really want to talk to you. Please. I just need to know that this isn’t some elaborate prank. 

**Phichit** : Please Yuuri. I just want to make sure I’m not dreaming.

Yuuri hesitated. He really did want to talk to Phichit, but he was feeling the same hesitation that he felt earlier about going back to Hasetsu. Yuuri glanced down at Phichit’s texts again. Returning his texts didn’t seem like too much effort, and he didn’t want his friend to keep worrying. His hands were shaking as he typed, but Yuuri managed a brief response:

**Yuuri:** It’s me. Sorry for worrying you.

The response came immediately, blowing up Yuuri’s phone with notifications again. 

**Phichit** : !!!!

**Phichit** : Don’t you dare apologize for anything, ok? You’ve done nothing wrong. 

**Phichit** : It’s so good to hear from you. 

**Phichit** : How are you doing?

**Phichit** : Can I visit?

**Phichit** : How’s the food? 

Yuuri smiled. He’d expect nothing less from his enthusiastic friend. 

**Phichit** : Could we FaceTime? 

Yuuri expected himself to feel more hesitation, but to his surprise, he was just excited. Talking to Phichit had made Yuuri realize how much he missed his friend. How much he missed all of his friends. 

“Victor?”

“Hm?”

“Is it ok if Phichit and I FaceTime?”

Victor didn’t hesitate. “Of course.” He sat down on the bed, scooting up next to Yuuri. Yuuri felt tension leave his body that he didn’t know he was carrying as soon as Victor leaned up against him. 

**Yuuri:** Sure

Not even two seconds passed before Yuuri’s phone was buzzing with a FaceTime notification. Yuuri took a deep breath, then answered. Phichit’s face filled the screen, and Yuuri couldn’t contain his sobs. It was so good to see his best friend again, and Phichit seemed to be feeling the same way, judging by his own tears of joy.

“Yuuri!” Phichit sobbed. “I can’t believe it’s really you! You’re really ok.” 

Yuuri still didn’t like the use of the word “ok”, but it was hard to be upset when he was getting to see Phichit’s face for the first time in months. He clutched his phone, squeezing it hard enough that his knuckles went white. 

“Yeah. I’m…” He didn’t really know what to say. 

Phichit didn’t wait for Yuuri to find his words. “I’m so sorry!” 

“What? Why are you sorry?” Yuuri asked.

“I should have listened!” Phichit wailed. “I should have helped you instead of pushing you away.” He sniffled. 

“Phichit--”

“I was a terrible friend! I wasn’t there when you needed me!” 

“Phichit--”

“I’m awful. I’m the worst. I’m--”

“Phichit!” 

Phichit’s ranting paused at Yuuri’s outburst. His eyes were filled with tears and he was the most distraught Yuuri had ever seen him. Yuuri took a deep breath. The last thing he’d expected when he took this call was that he’d be the one providing comfort. 

“I’m not mad at you,” Yuuri explained. “I know I was being kind of...difficult.” 

Phichit shook his head. “I’m your best friend. I should have had your back.”

Yuuri shrugged. “It’s ok, really.”

“No, it’s not!” Phichit insisted, his voice cracking. “If I had helped you then maybe things would have happened differently. Maybe you wouldn’t have…”

Phichit trailed off, but Yuuri knew where that thought was going. He held up a hand, cutting off any further explanation. “It wouldn’t have made a difference.” Yuuri shuddered, unwanted memories surfacing. “Can we talk about something else? Anything else?”

“Oh! Of course! Sorry.” Fortunately, Phichit never needed someone else to fill the silence. He started chattering happily, telling Yuuri about his hamsters and what had been going on at the rink. Yuuri listened contentedly, nodding when appropriate. Truthfully, he was only hearing every other word, but it was nice to hear his friend’s voice, and he was grateful that Phichit didn’t fight the change of subject.

The conversation only changed when Yuuri adjusted his grip on his phone and accidentally showed Victor in the video frame. Phichit gasped, clearly not expecting Yuuri to have company.

“Oh!” Phichit exclaimed. “You must be Victor! I mean,  _ of course _ you’re Victor, everyone knows that. I mean--”

Victor put a stop to the enthusiastic babbling, shifting into Yuuri so he was more in the frame. “Hi Phichit. I’ve heard a lot about you.” 

Phichit looked like he was trying very hard not to have a fanboy moment. He may not be as obsessed as Yuuri was, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a fan. Based on Phichit’s wide-eyed stare, he was obviously struggling not to freak out. And probably take a screenshot. However, with a will of steel that Yuuri greatly appreciated, Phichit took a deep breath and smiled warmly at Victor. 

“Yeah, uh, you too. I mean, Yuuri’s a fan! He always talked about you!” Phichit babbled awkwardly, seeming unsure about how the conversation should progress. Eventually, he managed to compose himself. “So can I visit you?”

“Well, I’m going to be released from here soon but you can come to Hasetsu,” Yuuri offered. 

“That’s perfect!” Phichit replied cheerfully. “It’s a crime I haven’t visited your home town yet, anyway. You have so many places you promised to take me!” 

Yuuri chuckled. “Yeah, I do.” 

They talked for a few more minutes, but then Yuuri started to get antsy. He loved Phichit, and it was great to catch up with him, but it was also too much too soon. He was feeling overwhelmed by everyone and everything. He didn’t even know how long he’d been in the hospital because he’d been in and out of consciousness. 

Reluctantly, Phichit agreed to let Yuuri hang up, but only after Yuuri promised to text him every day. Yuuri had a feeling that Phichit would text him if Yuuri forgot, so it was an easy promise to make. 

Yuuri leaned back against the wall, sighing heavily. Victor rubbed his arm soothingly. “Have you talked to Chris yet?” Yuuri asked as they sat together.

Victor nodded. “We’ve texted a few times.”

“I feel bad,” Yuuri admitted. “Chris kept trying to reach out to me and I ignored him.”

“He’ll understand,” Victor insisted. “Chris is a good friend.”

Yuuri nodded in agreement. “He is. You’re lucky to have each other.”

Victor started sniffling, and Yuuri gave him a questioning look. “He’s engaged,” Victor explained. “I just can’t believe I’ll get to be here for his wedding. I didn’t think I’d ever…” Victor trailed off, the tears starting to flow.

Turning so he could hold Victor, Yuuri offered soothing words. Victor gripped Yuuri’s arm with his good hand, sobbing into the crook of his neck. Yuuri felt tears of his own springing to his eyes. He was once again hit with the overwhelming reality that they had done it. They had escaped. They would see their friends and family again.

  
Despite the pain they were both still feeling, Yuuri couldn’t help thinking,  _ Take that, you bastard.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for your wonderful comments on part 1!


End file.
